Didn't Get to Say Goodbye
by If Wishes Were Blue Skies
Summary: in Mater's POV, his thoughts as Lightning leaves Radiator Springs. [slash yes, but INSANELY subtle. so even if you don't like it, you might still enjoy this.]


A/N: Just finished this up, and it took only about an hour or so to write, which surprised me. I'm really slow when it comes to writing. But I started, put on some good ole' sappy music, and just finished it XD. but it's as the summary says, Mater's thoughts as Lightning leaves Radiator Springs. was inspired by the heart-breakingly sad look on Mater's face in that scene. made me just wanna run into the movie and give him a BIG hug, you know? ehehe, I - like all Mater fanatics out there - love him too much to see him anything but happy, but I had to write this little piece of sap. I'm not insanely proud of it, but it's okay. 

I'm horrible at writing the so-called "comic relief" characters that are a little uh... not smart? XD I tried my best to keep him in-character, but I wrote him a little smarter than normal. sorry 'bout that.

oh, and about the slash. it's REALLY subtle. like, barely there XD. probably not even there at all to anyone who doesn't read the very fine print in between the lines, aha. so even if you're not a slash fan, you might actually like this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cars or its characters. omg that's SUCH news by now, huh?

---

----------

_"There's no 'goodbye'...__only love."_

The Perfect Storm

-------------------

---------

-------------------

"Didn't Get to Say Goodbye"

_by: If Wishes Were Blue Skies_

-------------------

---------

-------------------

…

He was gone.

It only took me a few seconds ta realize it, but… he left. Muh best friend was gone.

I could only watch as all the media folk left with him, just like everyone else in town. We were now all gathered together, watchin' 'em all leave in a herd of lights and noise. I wanted I go after them, after him, but…

I knew it wadn't my place to. If anyone had that right, it was Miss Sally.

I looked over at her for a second, she was away from everyone else, but also watchin' the crowd get smaller n' smaller in the distance. Lightnin' with them. And then she drove into the motel, paused for a moment, and then shut off the lights on the sign.

I felt bad for her. I knew she had taken more than a shine to Lightnin'… so she had to have felt a lot worse 'bout him leavin' than any of us. Or maybe that wasn't true… maybe she just felt sad in a whole differ'nt way. But either way…

I looked down at the ground, at the road that he paved for us. I felt sad again. When he first started out on the road, I had sorta wondered what he was goin' ta do once he was done with it. O' course I wanted him ta stay, but not as much as I wanted him to after a couple of days. N' for a little while… I was startin' ta think he just might. But I tried not to get my hopes up. I couldn't much help it, though. I felt myself grow more attached ta him in the few days he was here than I ever have with anyone in town for the years I've known them. I dunno what in the heck it was about that Lightnin' McQueen, but… in the short time he was here, I somehow felt like I'd known him my whole life.

I dunno what it was that made me take to him right away like I did. Sure, I was friendly to anyone and everyone, but I would love to be around him, talk to him, anything. When Sheriff asked me to watch him for the one night, I was so happy. I thought real hard of somethin' I could do with him that I knew he'd like. N' I never felt like that before. I never wanted so badly to think of something that the other person would like, just to see 'em happy. And I was beyond excited when he had finally agreed to come with me that night, and even more so in a way that I never dun felt before when I knew he was really enjoying it. When he laughed alongside me that night, it was like I'd never heard no one laugh before. It was the most wonderful sound in the whole world.

Then later on that night, I felt the worst I ever felt in my life (besides now). I still dunno why it bothered me as much as it did, but when I found out that he loved Sally, I…

I didn't let it show, o' course. Didn't want him ta ask about it, didn't want him ta know it hurt me. I couldn't let him know, and I knew that like it was somethin' I'd been taught all my life. It had been hard though for that moment, to keep in the disappointment that I had felt. But I acted happy, and it seemed ta work. And it paid off once our conversation switched away from her. I was happy once that happened. Because once again it was just me n' him.

At the time, I really didn't think much 'bout it. 'Course, when I went home that night, I wondered a little, but just as I'd told him, I thought of him as my best friend. I had thought back on it with a smile that night, because _he_ smiled. Smiled like I'd never seen anyone smile. It told me that he was astounded at the fact, but somehow relieved and happy. And this… shoot, I really don't know how it made me feel ta see him look at me like that. I gave up tryin' to figure out what it was.

The other amazing thing that happened in the short amount of time he was here, was his change. We all knew that. He had never seemed all that bad ta me at all to begin with. I could almost see the nicer car he'd become in him when I met him. Though I knew nobody else could. I didn't know why, it seemed so obvious that he wasn't all that mean. N' I'll never forget when Sally said ta me earlier today,

"_He's changed a lot hasn't he? You know, Mater… I think that's thanks to you."_

"_Me?"_

"_Yeah. You've spent the most time with him since he's been here. And I noticed an awfully big change after that talk you had with him last night. I… really believe it's your kindness that turned him around. You're a part of him now."_

I had never really been apart of somethin' that was really helpful before, so when Sally told me that, I felt so happy. It made me feel special. I didn't know if it was true or not, but knowing that one person believed it was, was really somethin'. If only I could hear Lightnin' say the same thing…

I was knocked from my thoughts by the silence. I wondered why it had seemed so significant, but then I realized what noise was gone. Lookin' out at the road, I saw that they were completely out of sight now. I frowned.

He was gone. And then I realized somethin' else ta top it all off…

"I didn't get ta say goodbye to him…"


End file.
